Our Jackson ancestors are likely English but the Jackson name is very common in Ireland as well. It may be Irish in origin. The Jackson name is also very common in the United States. The author is primarily interested in the Jackson family of Amelia County/Nottoway County Virginia who migrated to Wilkes County, Georgia shortly before the Revolutionary War.
The author has read one account that claims our Jackson ancestors are closely related to Gen. Stonewall Jackson but this has not be substantiated. The only thing that the author found that the families had in common was the name of course and that they were Virginians. Stonewall's ancestry is murky at best so to draw a parallel to our Jackson family is highly speculative.
As any researcher knows, the further back in time one goes with research, the less likely that research will be accurate; Having said that, the author has found some information on our early Jackson ancestors who appear to have arrived in America in the 1600s. Our Jackson family story may begin with the immigrant William Jackson of England, born about 1630. He immigrated to America in the 1600s and he died in Surry County, Virginia in January 1710. Nothing is known about his wife (wives?). One of his children was John Ellis Jackson (1680-1770) who is said to have married Mary Ward. One of the children of John and Mary was Edward Jackson (1715-1789) and there is quite a bit of information available for Edward. Edward had wives Lucy Parrish and Abigail James. Edward lived in the southeastern part of Virginia. He likely migrated west from Surrey into Nottoway and Amelia Counties. Some of the sons of Edward were Patriot Revolutionary War soldiers and at least one daughter married a Patriot soldier. Many of these families moved to Georgia and several wound up living in close proximity to one another in Wilkes, Oglethorpe, Clarke and Greene Counties.
Edward Jackson appears to have had 2 wives: Lucy Parrish (1st wife) and Abigail James. Edward left a Will dated 1789 in Nottoway County, VA. This Will provides us with a great deal of information. It appears that most, if not all, of Edward's children moved to Georgia and lived in Wilkes and Oglethorpe Counties.
Thus far, the author has focused his research Edward's son Daniel (his line) to any extent; However, the descendants of Edward Jackson can be found to have made a direct impact in many counties of N.E. Georgia.
1789 Will of Edward Jackson in Nottoway County, Virginia (Available on Ancestry.com).
He notes his plantation and land in Nottoway County, VA on the north side of the "HAW BRANCH" which today is the area just west of Richmond and north of Amelia Courthouse. The "Haw Branch" today is in Amelia County, Virginia just north of Highway 360 and the courthouse. Note that Nottoway County lies just to the southwest and the Haw Branch is thus only about 10 miles from the Nottoway/Amelia County line.
Per his will, we have his wife and living descendants as follows:
- Wife - Abigail is given 108 acres of land near the Haw Branch; Four negroes (slaves); Horses, cattle, hogs and household furniture, etc.
- Son - Daniel Jackson (1738-1794) is given 5 shillings. Daniel moved to Wilkes County, Georgia before his father died and prior to the Revolutionary War where he later became one of Elijah Clarke's Patriot Refugee Soldier's. See more on Daniel HERE.
- Daughter - Millenor Hammock is given 5 shillings. Millenor and her husband Robert moved to Wilkes County, Georgia where they lived very close to the author's COMBS family. Robert was also a Revolutionary War Patriot soldier.
- Son - Edward Jackson is given 100 acres adjoining William Parrish Jackson, John May and Charles Pollard.
- Daughter - Lucy Jackson is given 5 shillings.
- Son - William Parrish Jackson - 200 acres of land adjoining the lands of William Spain, Samme/Lamme Hobbs(?) and John May; He also appears to have given him a negro (slave).
- Daughter - Mary Howard is given 5 shilling.
- Son - John Jackson - is given all lands and plantation that are now in the possession of Edward and he is also given negroes (slaves), livestock and personal property.
- Daughter - Silvaner Frank is given a negroe (slave).
- Daughter - Phoebe Whitesides is given a negroe (slave).
- Son - Benedict Jackson is given a negroe (slave).
- Son - Moses Jackson is given 5 shillings.
- Son - Ephraim Jackson (1769-1853) is given a negroe (slave). Moved to Wilkes/Oglethorpe county, GA. Married Ann Russell who might be related to the Russell family that John Combs married into - see John Combs HERE. Ephraim and Ann had a large family. He died in Carroll County, GA. See his descendants HERE.
- Son - Woody Jackson (1771-1847) is given a negroe (slave). Woody married Sally Haynes. He moved to Wilkes/Oglethorpe County, GA where he was a lawyer and local politician of sorts. He and his wife are buried near Lexington, GA. Woody and Sally had several known children.
- Son - Ambrose Jackson is given a negro (slave).
- Son - Reuben Jackson is given a negro (slave).
He gives 5 of his sons (Benedict, Ephraim, Woody, Ambrose and Reuben) the right to negroes that was left to his wife Abigail upon her death.
He gives 4 of his sons (Ephraim, Woody, Ambrose and Reuben) the right to cattle, horses, cows, hogs and household property that was left to his widow Abigail upon her death.
He appoints 3 of his sons (William P., John and Benedict) as executors.
From what the materials that the author has researched, it appears that most of the children named in his Will were from his marriage to Lucy Parrish; However, with 15 known children, it is possible that he was married more than twice since only four of the known children appear to have been from his 2nd wife. This would mean that his 1st wife (Lucy) bore him 11 children.
Wife Lucy had Milly, Daniel, Edward, Lucy, William, Mary, John, Silvaner, Phoebe, Benedict, and Moses.
Wife Abigail had Ephraim, Woody, Ambrose and Reuben.
Next: THE GEORGIA DESCENDANTS OF EDWARD JACKSON
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General Notes
Note the name William Spain on his Will. One of the author's Wilkes County, Georgia ancestors is named Spain Colley and there are numerous connections with the Colley family; In fact, the author's Jackson great-grandmother was a Colley. Also note that the name Parrish might be a different spelling of Paris or Parris; The surname France is also found in the Colley line - all names found in the early settlers of Wilkes County, Georgia.
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Footnotes
[1] The author has done very little research on our Jackson ancestors while they were in Virginia but one record that he found interesting lists the death of an Ambrose Jackson on June 14, 1745 in Brunswick County, VA. Presumably his wife was named Anne with sons Henry, Ambrose and John and daughters Anne Harwell and Tabitha Simms. Witnesses included a Ralph Jackson and a Daniel Jackson. This record is of interest not only because the death occurred in Brunswick County, VA, but also because his first name was Ambrose and one of his daughters married a Harwell: Brunswick County, VA in 1745 was a very large county and it shared a portion of its northern border with Amelia County VA where many of the author's Wilkes County, GA ancestors were living before moving to Georgia; The name Ambrose can be found in several Wilkes County GA Jackson men; We have a man named Hartwell Jackson living in Wilkes County near the author's Jackson ancestors - Could Harwell have changed over the years to Hartwell? See the book "The Southside Virginian", Vol. 1, No. 1, by Hart & Kolbe, 1982, for more early VA Jackson records.
This page was created on 2/23/2025